The Cape Elizabeth School Department is down to one candidate for superintendent after Steven Bailey, who heads the Central Lincoln County School System, withdrew his name from consideration.

That means Craig King, the superintendent for Regional School Unit 10, is the sole finalist left from Cape’s search for a new superintendent to replace Meredith Nadeau, who is leaving at the end of the school year after five years heading the schools.

King is scheduled to visit Cape Elizabeth on Wednesday, after the Current’s print deadline, and the School Board is set to hold a closed door meeting that evening to discuss whether to hire King to lead the schools going forward.

On Monday Elizabeth Scifres, chairwoman of the School Board, said in a message to the community that, “Although we now have one candidate, this visit is not a formality. Wednesday will be a daylong interview with various stakeholder groups. (And), the board will be gathering feedback from everyone with whom he meets.”

On Tuesday Scifres told the Current if the School Board determines that King is not the best fit, the board would hire an interim superintendent and resume its search for a permanent head of schools next winter.

She said, “Ultimately, it has to be a good fit for both the school district and the candidate. The superintendent of schools is incredibly important not only to the school district, but the community. Hiring a superintendent is arguably the most critical job of a school board.”

Scifres added that the School Board also feels a responsibility to ensure the search process includes stakeholder input at every step and that it’s “deeply thoughtful and arduous.”

In her message to the community earlier this week, Scifres said that King’s visit to Cape on Wednesday would start with him meeting with Central Office administrators and staff, followed by Town Council members and the town manager.

“From there,” she said, “he will have coffee with a few parents, representatives of the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation and members from all three parents associations. Dr. King will (also) visit all three schools, having student-led tours where possible, as well as meet-and-greet sessions with staff. Building and department administrators will then have time to meet with (him),” as well.

The day will end with a reception for King at the Inn by the Sea and then the special meeting of the School Board.

King’s background in education includes nine years as principal at Mt. Ararat High School, along with being both a junior high/high school assistant principal and principal in Mississippi. He’s also taught at both the elementary and high school level internationally and in Mississippi.

This week Bailey told the Current that he withdrew from the superintendent hiring process in Cape because “after a great deal of thought and deliberation I decided to stay put in my current position. We are in the middle of many important initiatives in my current school system that I want to see through to completion.”

He added, “I enjoyed two outstanding visits with the Cape Elizabeth search committee and School Board and felt honored to be selected as a finalist for the (Cape) superintendent position. I am very thankful to have been involved in the search process.”

In a prior interview, King told the Current that conversations he’s had with the School Board and school staff “have left me with a very positive impression” of the Cape school system.

“Although Cape Elizabeth is a very high-functioning school department, with impressive student and faculty achievement, it’s not interested in resting on its laurels. (The district) wants to (continue to) engage all students at high levels and expand previously untapped learning opportunities,” he said.

Craig King is the sole remaining candidate for the superintendent of schools post in Cape Elizabeth after Steven Bailey dropped out of the running earlier this week.